ETA ‘delusions’…though I suppose it works as written too.
There is also this account of the movie by another documentary film maker (if you can trust someone that uses a green font).
I loved the movie when I first saw it, but learning about the truth behind it ruined it for me. It especially bothers me because it seems so unnecessary. As has been pointed out, these people really are bizzarre characters, especially Billy Mitchell. Why falsify stuff when you’ve got that?
Reading the comments, it seems there’s some dispute to what he’s saying. Someone also pointed out that he’s not exactly unbiased, having apparently close contact with body Walter Day and Billy Mitchell. And he seems to harbor quite the grudge, if his demeanor toward some of the later comments is a fair gauge.
With that said, I’m sure the movie takes some liberties, but it’s hard to tell how much is factual vs how much isn’t when most of the noise is coming from the “negatively portrayed” camp.
I enjoy the movie knowing the truth behind it, I think it takes a certain type of skill to edit this into a story, however fictional, and make it entertaining. It just sucks for those who were cast in a negative light. It may be insensitive to say this, but it’s an interesting way to make a movie…
This thread is more than a decade old, but I think it’s a useful source for bumping because it provides some context.
Billy Mitchell’s records were erased in 2018 by Twin Galaxies, and he sued for defamation. The court case rumbled along for a while, but then late evidence emerged, in a classic Perry Mason twist…
